


Ah, Natsu Yasumi!

by bibliophileemily



Category: Naruto, ロック・リーの青春フルパワー忍伝 | Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth | Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals
Genre: Beach Volleyball, Day At The Beach, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Fortune Telling, Friendship, Gen, Hot Springs & Onsen, Japanese Culture, Kimono, Love Confessions, Movie Night, Summer Festival, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-05
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2021-01-24 03:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21331258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bibliophileemily/pseuds/bibliophileemily
Summary: It's summer, and the Hokage's mission for everyone is... to have fun? WHAT?!All missions are cancelled, training is expressly forbidden, and Team 3 has unlimited free time to get into all sorts of trouble. Through all the classic scenarios of a stereotypical Japanese summer vacation, Neji struggles to survive and maybe, just maybe, have a little bit of fun too.Written in the vein of Naruto SD: Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Neji & Rock Lee & Tenten, Rock Lee/Tenten
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Kakigoori

前説: 夏が来た  
Prologue: Summer Has Come

It was June, and summer had descended upon Konoha like a warm, wet, suffocating blanket with heat and humidity levels rivaling those of a tropical beach but without the cooling ocean breeze.

Despite the disagreeable weather, Rock Lee was still training ferociously and actively encouraging his teammates to join in.

"Come on, Neji! I bet I can do five hundred pushups faster than you can!" he challenged.

Neji groaned; he had absolutely no desire to do physical activity of any kind, let alone pushups, in this weather.

"In this heat? I doubt even you, Lee, could complete five hundred pushups."

"Yeah," Tenten agreed, fanning herself with one of her scrolls. "You'd be lucky if you could even do fifty."

"Fifty pushups is nothing!" Lee exclaimed. "I bet I can do a hundred before either of you can do fifty!"

Neji shot Tenten a look that said "Great, now look what you've got us into," and Tenten shot him one right back before joining Lee in his training.

"Last one done has to buy drinks for the rest of the team," she sang, prompting Neji to drop down and do pushups as if his life depended on it; weather be damned, his pride was at stake.

They were almost finished when Gai confronted them on the training ground.

"What are you doing?" he shouted, grabbing Lee and pulling him into a standing position. "It's summer!"

Neji and Tenten froze; Gai had never, _ever, _interrupted training before.

"Gai-sensei, we were training," Lee explained.

"Well, you'd better stop," Gai said. "Didn't you see the sign?" He pointed to a large billboard erected over Hokage Mountain.

"Summer vacation has officially begun," Tenten read. "So? What's that got to do with training?"

"No, there's a footnote," Neji said, using his Byakugan to read the fine print. "It says, 'By order of the Hokage, all training is expressly forbidden.'"

"Forbidden?" Lee looked as though he was going to go into shock. "But… but _why_?"

"Isn't that dangerous?" Tenten asked. "We're ninja; we have to keep in top form."

"And what about missions?" Neji added. "Are those cancelled too?"

"Well, it's peacetime," Gai explained. "The Hokage decided that after the events of the last war, everyone deserved a vacation. And what better time than summer?"

Neji could think of a few better times than summer—maybe a season that didn't make him feel like he was melting—but he appreciated the sentiment behind Tsunade's actions. When was the last time he'd had a vacation?

"But without training," Lee continued, still mentally stuck on the ban of his favorite pastime, "what will we do?"

Gai flashed a blinding smile. "There are all sorts of things to do in the summer! Go swimming, visit the beach, watch some fireworks: the air is thick with youthful passion!"

A light bulb went off in Lee's head. "I'm going to get Sakura-san to go on a date with me!"

"That's the spirit, Lee!"

Tenten turned to Neji. "I can't believe this… we aren't trapped in a genjutsu, are we?"

Neji shook his head.

"Tsunade-sama really thinks this is a good idea then…"

There was a pause where they all contemplated their new state of freedom.

"So…" Lee said, breaking the silence, "if none of us finished last, who's buying the juice?"

* * *

あ～、夏休み!  
Ah, Summer Vacation!

* * *

第一間: かき氷  
Chapter One: Shaved Ice

It was determined that since no one had finished fifty pushups, the person who had done the fewest was responsible for buying the team drinks. As he brought Lee his melon soda and Tenten her iced coffee, Neji lamented his now-almost empty wallet; when had Tenten gotten so good at pushups?

After finishing their drinks, the team found themselves aimlessly wandering the streets of Konoha, trying to think of something to do.

"We've never had a vacation before," Tenten mused. "Not since we graduated from the academy, anyway. I don't even remember what I used to do back then."

"I used to watch a lot of movies when I wasn't doing homework," Lee said.

"We could go see a movie now," Neji suggested, but Tenten shook her head.

"There's nothing good out yet."

"Well, can we at least go somewhere with air conditioning?" Neji pleaded, convinced he'd lost half his body weight through sweat, but his request was unheard as Lee pointed out Naruto and Sakura.

"Let's go see what Sakura-san and Naruto-kun are doing!" he said.

"Hey, Bushy-brows, Neji," Naruto greeted them. "What are you doing?"

"We were about to ask you the same question," said Tenten. "We're trying to figure out what to do now that we're all on vacation."

"I know what you mean; it's so strange!" Sakura said. "We haven't had a vacation in _so_ long!"

Neji grit his teeth in frustration; he knew that it was polite to make the required small talk ad infinitum before jumping to the next topic of conversation, but really, there was a limit.

At least no one has brought up the weather, he thought.

"Yeah, it's gotten so hot all of a sudden," Naruto said. As Lee agreed, "You know, it really has," Neji felt his blood pressure starting to rise.

"It's much too hot for this." In desperation, he looked around and saw a shaved ice vendor. The man was turning the crank of the shaving machine, creating a flurry of tiny ice particles.

He didn't even bother pointing this out to the others and just started walking towards it; Tenten noticed and followed, unconsciously leading the others to the stand.

"Oh, hey, _kakigōri_," Naruto exclaimed when he realized where they were. "We should totally get some!"

"A most excellent idea," Neji said.

They got in line and waited for the man to shave enough ice to serve everyone when Hinata and her teammates showed up.

"Hello, Naru… I mean, everyone," she said, prompting everyone to exchange greetings.

"Seems like everyone had the same idea today," Kiba said. "Probably because it's too damn hot."

"But that's what makes shaved ice so refreshing," Shino said. "Why? Because if it wasn't hot, we wouldn't want it, and its purpose would be lost."

Neji couldn't help staring at Shino: how could he stay so calm and cool while wearing so many heavy layers? Neji's own clothing was relatively light, but the moisture in the air made them damp and heavy. Lee had the right idea with those thin tights, he thought before immediately bringing that notion to a halt. Approving of _Lee_'s wardrobe choices? The heat was affecting him worse than he'd thought.

At last, it was his turn in line. He ordered cherry ice and watched as the vendor scooped the ice into a paper cup and poured the bright red syrup over it.

"Three hundred _ryou_, please," the vendor said. Neji happily pulled out his wallet to pay when he noticed how light it felt and opened it to see only two coins.

No, he thought. This can't be happening. I'm too close…

His teammates had already paid for and started eating their ice, and he couldn't step out of line without losing his spot. He just wanted his cherry ice…

"Um, make it two, please," Hinata said from behind him, putting six hundred _ryou_ onto the tray. "Except make mine strawberry."

"Hinata-sama?"

"It's OK, Neji-nii-san. You can pay me back later."

Even though he was embarrassed that he had to be bailed out by her, Neji was still grateful—honestly, if Hinata hadn't stepped in, he probably would have died of heat stroke, so when he mumbled his thanks, the intent was genuine.

At last, he had his cherry ice; after one bite, he instantly felt cooler. Everyone else seemed to have the same feelings as they ate their own ice in satisfied silence. Neji sighed contently; perhaps summer wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Ai-ai-gasa

第二間：相合傘  
Chapter Two: Sharing an Umbrella

* * *

The rainy season literally began overnight; Neji was asleep when the sound of pouring rain woke him up. He got up and watched the rain for a moment, thinking that it would stop by morning, but morning broke just as wet and overcast as the night had been.

The Hyuuga clan may have been one of the oldest and most respected clans in the village, but the family compound was severely lacking in umbrellas. Fortunately, Neji was able to grab one on his way out; it was very old, practically an antique, but it did its job, and privately, he thought it made him look rather dashing.

He met Lee and Tenten at the movie theater; with as much free time as they had now, they'd pledged to go once a week and rotated who chose the movie each time. Today was Tenten's pick, and she'd chosen a horror movie. Neji wasn't particularly fond of horror movies, but Lee _hated_ them and spent most of the film shrieking while hiding his face in Tenten's arm. (Neji vaguely wondered if that had been Tenten's goal from the beginning, but she was so stoic the entire time that he eventually dropped that idea.)

The three of them had wandered to the bookstore to loiter (the bookshop owner was always asleep and never seemed to care what his customers were doing) when Lee suddenly let out a huge sigh.

"Lee, what's wrong?" Tenten asked.

"The rain," he moaned. "The rainy season always comes so suddenly; I mean, our vacation just started, and we can't really do anything because of the rain."

"Well, there _are_ things people can do in the rain," Tenten said helpfully. "Like… um…" She looked around and picked up a book with a couple sharing an umbrella on the cover. "Sharing an umbrella! There's nothing more romantic than that!"

"You're right!" Lee said, suddenly fired up. "And maybe even kissing in the rain…" He and Tenten both sighed dreamily. "There's nothing better than that."

"How would you even know?" Neji said drily. "Neither of you has a significant other."

Lee immediately sank into despair as Tenten rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, and you have so much room to talk, oh wise and all-knowing Neji? Please do share with us the story of the last time _you_ went on a date… oh, wait; you've never been on one."

Neji pretended not to hear her. So what if he'd never been on a date? He could go on a date any time he wanted; he _chose_ to focus on his ninja career. Obviously he'd made the right decision as he was the only member of his former team to achieve jounin rank.

He was about to share this particular observation with them when Lee, who had been staring forlornly at the book Tenten had found, was inspired.

"Wait! I think I know a jutsu that can help us with our problem!"

"A jutsu to fix our love lives?" Tenten said. "How? You can't use ninjutsu."

Lee grinned and pulled out his notepad and pencil. "I remember it from our academy days. Look." He quickly drew a stylized umbrella, then wrote his name and Sakura's name underneath it. "_Ai-ai-gasa no jutsu_!"

Tenten massaged her forehead in frustration. "Lee, that's just a children's game!" she shouted. "I can't believe you would think something like that would actually—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence because a soaking wet Sakura ran into the bookstore to seek shelter from the rain.

"It worked!" Lee shouted. "See, the jutsu brought Sakura-san to me!" Tenten and Neji could only stare in amazement as he skipped over to Sakura and graciously offered to walk her home.

"No way," Tenten said. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"It was a coincidence," Neji insisted. "There's no way a stupid technique like that could exist, let alone work."

They watched in silence as Lee and Sakura left the bookstore together under a single umbrella.

"We have to try it," Neji said. He had already grabbed the notepad Lee had dropped and was busy drawing an umbrella.

"Are you serious?" Tenten asked.

"What else have we got to do?"

She sighed. "Give me some paper."

"So whose names should we write?"

"What's wrong with using our own?"

Neji fixed her with a pointed stare.

"Fine, fine. Don't want to ruin your dateless streak." Neji's stare turned into a death glare. "I'm kidding! Look, there's Ino with an umbrella; let's see…" Tenten laughed evilly and wrote down a name next to Ino's under her umbrella drawing then looked at Neji's. "I guess we'll see who's the better matchmaker."

"That we will," he agreed. He too had written down Ino's name, but they'd each put a different person on the other side of the umbrella. If Lee had been there, he would have sentenced the loser to grueling physical punishment, but Lee was not there, and all that was at stake was bragging rights. Bragging rights were still a precious commodity though, so the two teammates were watching so intently that when Ino stopped and bent down to talk someone, they both gasped.

"She's putting her umbrella over someone! I can't see; Neji, who is it?"

"I can't tell from here."

"Oh, for the love of… use your Byakugan!" Tenten cried, exasperated. "What's the point of having a bloodline limit if you aren't going to use it?"

"Fine, fine; I'll do it." He activated his Byakugan and located Ino.

"She's with Chouji," he said smugly. "Looks like your jutsu is the one that failed."

"Seriously? Well, it's not like I expected it to—"

"Wait, there's someone else there!"

"Is it Shikamaru?" Tenten craned her neck to try and see better as the trio walked closer to the book store. Sure enough, the entirety of Team 10 was found under a single umbrella. "I don't believe it. They _both_ worked."

"Coincidence. It has to be a coincidence," Neji said, but before he could finish, Tenten began writing again.

"We chose something too easy," she declared. "We have to try something that wouldn't happen naturally. Gai-sensei and…" She tapped the pencil against her lip. "Oh, no… no, that's too evil; I couldn't possibly…"

"Who are you considering?" Neji asked apprehensively; what poor soul was she going to subject to sharing an umbrella with Gai?

"Sai."

"That _is_ evil. Do it."

Tenten wrote Sai's name down, and the two of them watched from the window to see if the "jutsu" would work again. Five minutes went by, and they were about to give up when Neji saw a flash of green on the street and recognized Gai.

"No way…"

"It can't be…"

"It's even more powerful than we thought." Neji stared at the piece of paper before him then looked back out the window. Not only were Gai and Sai sharing an umbrella, they were holding hands and looking at each other with lovesick expressions.

"That's just wrong," Tenten said.

"You were the one who thought of it!"

"Yes, but I'm going to undo it!" She erased their names from under the umbrella; instantly, the two let go of the umbrella and went their separate ways, not even realizing what they had just been doing.

"Poor Lee," Tenten said suddenly. "He's probably so happy to be with Sakura that he doesn't even care it's a jutsu." She traced the umbrella Lee had drawn. "Maybe I should erase their names… for his own good, you know."

"Right."

"I was serious! I don't want Lee to get hurt!"

"I believed you the first time; you don't have to explain yourself to me."

Tenten blushed. "I wasn't--! I'll just do it then." She erased Lee and Sakura's names from underneath the umbrella. As if on cue, Lee arrived in the bookshop, soaking wet.

"Lee! What happened to your umbrella?"

Lee sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Tenten! Sakura-san went the rest of the way home alone, but she took my umbrella."

"Lee…" Tenten immediately regretted what she had done. "I'm so sorry; it's my fault."

"Your fault?" Lee looked confused. "I tripped and accidentally looked up Sakura-san's skirt, so she punched me and continued alone. How is that your fault?"

"Oh! Well, in that case..." Tenten grabbed Lee by the wrist and pulled him along. "I'll take you home so you can get into dry clothes. I still have _my_ umbrella."

"But I don't want to share an umbrella with you," Lee protested. "Sakura-san—"

"I'm sick of hearing about Sakura! Come on!" And with that, she dragged him out of the bookstore, leaving Neji alone.

He watched them go, then looked down at the notepad Tenten had left behind. If the jutsu really did work, he could… He got as far as writing his name and the first character of another's before dropping the pencil and tearing the paper into tiny pieces. He didn't want some stupid jutsu to be the only reason someone would share an umbrella with him.

It was late afternoon by now, and the rain was relentless as ever. Neji bought a magazine out of politeness, grabbed his umbrella, and began to head home, doing his best to avoid stepping in puddles.

He couldn't help noticing all the couples around him. For a moment, Neji regretted tearing up the paper; at least then, he wouldn't have to walk around alone. He was thinking so hard about this that he thought it was his imagination when he saw Hinata and kept on walking until he doubled back and confirmed it really was her.

He was torn; should he go in and say "hello," or keep walking and pretend he hadn't seen her? She was ordering something at the bakery; if he wanted to be really gallant, he could go in and pay for whatever she was getting—he still owed her for the shaved ice after all.

He didn't get a chance to make a decision before Hinata saw him through the window and waved. He waved back and met her just outside the bakery as she came out.

"Neji-nii-san, are you on your way back home?"

"I am."

"This is silly," she said, over-preoccupied with arranging her shopping bag, "but I left without an umbrella earlier. I don't know what I was thinking."

Without a word, Neji extended his umbrella over her. She smiled and looped her arm around him so that they were both under it.

"This way, no one gets wet," she said.

The walk home usually took twenty minutes, but because walking while so close together and keeping the umbrella positioned properly was a bit awkward, it took forty-five. Hinata didn't seem to mind, though, and Neji certainly wasn't complaining.


	3. Natsu Kaze

第三間：夏風邪  
Chapter Three: Summer Cold

* * *

July came, and as usual, Neji celebrated his birthday alone (save for the few family members who chose to acknowledge it), then joined his teammates for a birthday-Tanabata combination outing.

Tanabata was crazier than usual this year since all of Konoha was on vacation, but Neji and his friends were able to get a spot at his favorite soba restaurant and still have time after dinner to hang up their wishes. Neji had made the same wish for both his birthday and Tanabata this year, hoping that the combined power would make it more likely to come true; he was aware that thoughts like that made him sound an awful lot like Lee, but he convinced himself it was somehow different.

"So, Tenten," Lee asked later when they were lighting sparklers in one of the training clearings, "what was your wish this year?"

Tenten took her time answering, waiting for her sparkler to fizzle out before she shrugged and said, "I wished that I could make one unforgettable summer memory… not necessarily anything romantic, though!" She waved her hands quickly. "I mean, now that we don't have any missions, we have time to do something really special!"

"Like what?" Lee asked.

"I don't know. Maybe something we've never done before!"

Neji thought for a moment. "We could go to the beach," he suggested. "We've been to the sea for missions, but this would be entirely for fun."

"Neji, you're a genius!" Tenten said.

"I know?"

"No, really, you are! A beach trip is the perfect idea!"

"I agree!" Lee cried. "It's the quintessential summer vacation activity!"

"We should get everyone together; maybe we could even stay the night!"

"Plus, then I can see Sakura-san in her bathing suit—"

"Hmm, should we camp out or get some rooms at an inn?"

"And have a romantic walk with her into the sunset—"

"Wait a minute!" Neji shouted over his teammates' excited chatter. "Does anyone actually know which beach we should go to?"

Lee and Tenten stopped talking and thought about that for a moment.

"I think I remember Naruto-kun talking about his visit to the Wave Country at one point," Lee said. "I mean, with a name like Wave Country, I'm sure it has beaches; we could head there and look for one."

"Sounds good to me," Tenten agreed. "Let's meet up early tomorrow and set out to find the perfect beach!"

Lee punched the air and did a couple of kicks in excitement; Neji merely nodded. Since they'd made plans to get up early, and they were out of sparklers anyway, they all headed home.

It didn't take Neji too long to prepare; he just added some provisions to the bag he usually carried. The night was clear, so he left his window open to catch any passing breezes.

That turned out to be a bad idea. It rained all night, and the breezes Neji had hoped to catch were full-on gusts of wind. He got everything closed before any significant water damage occurred, but his room was now uncomfortably chilly, and even though he buried himself under as many blankets as possible, he couldn't really get warm enough.

The next morning, the three met up at the gates of Konoha as planned. The sun had just come up and was only beginning to dry the huge puddles spread everywhere, so they made their way carefully on the path leading to Wave Country.

"You know," Lee observed, "we'd probably travel a lot faster if we jumped through the trees like we usually do."

"If we tried that now, we'd slip and fall to our deaths, silly," Tenten explained. "It's too wet right now."

"At this rate, it will take us the entire day to reach the beach," Neji said, a little worried. He hadn't expected to stay there overnight.

As the sun rose higher, the day grew hotter and the ground drier. At last, the three of them were flying through the air at three times the speed they could travel on land. They stopped once for lunch, squabbled over directions twice, and made it to Wave Country by afternoon.

"Are we in the right place?" Neji asked in dismay. Instead of bright, sunny beaches like he'd envisioned, the land was coated in a thick mist that dropped the temperature at least twenty degrees cooler than Konoha.

"This place is freezing," Lee said. "Sakura-san and I won't be able to splash each other in the surf if it's this cold and gloomy."

"Maybe it's just a bad day," Tenten said. "We should ask one of the locals what kind of weather to expect."

The innkeeper they asked only had bad news; apparently the island had at least five misty days a week, more during the rainy season, so they weren't to expect much sun during their visit.

"What a shame," Tenten said as they crossed the bridge back to Fire Country. "We came all this way for nothing."

"Not necessarily," Neji said. "We've already reached the coast; we can scout alongside it to find a more suitable beach." He looked at the sky, trying to gauge the sun's position, but it was too foggy. "Although it's getting late. Should we plan to stay the night?"

"I don't have enough money with me," Lee confessed.

"Me neither," Tenten added. "And I didn't pack a tent."

"So we have to find a beach _and_ get back to Konoha by tonight?" Neji sighed heavily. "In that case, we should probably split up and meet back here before sundown."

"Sounds good. I'll go west." And Tenten immediately set off in that direction.

"Lee, do you want to go with her or—"

"OK!" Lee set off after her, leaving Neji to explore the east side alone.

He was vaguely annoyed that he'd been ditched so quickly, but then again, Lee had spent most of the trip there nattering about Sakura and what he was going to do with her at the beach, and Neji could really only take so much of that. It was a shame that Lee was so hung up on a girl who was obstinately in love with another man, but Neji never said anything about it because if he thought about it too hard, he didn't have any room to criticize.

Alone with his thoughts on that matter, he'd gone about ten miles before the sun broke free from the clouds and shone brightly on the most beautiful beach he'd ever seen. The sand was pristine, the waves were the perfect height and came in regular intervals, and the sun shimmered through the spray of the surf, making little rainbows every now and then.

I want to come back here with Hinata-sama, he thought, remembering his birthday-Tanabata wish. Tenten wasn't the only one who wanted an unforgettable summer memory.

He shook his head—now wasn't the time to dwell on such things—and returned to the task at hand, moving inland to see what kind of overnight lodgings were in the area. He found three reasonably priced inns, one of which even had an outdoor bath, before heading back to the bridge where he would meet Lee and Tenten.

It was cold still at the bridge, and the temperature shift did not agree with him. He sneezed and, amused, thought that perhaps Lee or Tenten was talking about him, but then he sneezed again with such force that he almost whacked his head against the rail he'd been leaning against. Maybe because he'd been out in the cold for so long…

He shook his head. No, that was just a myth; you can't catch a cold just from being cold, he told himself, but that thought wasn't exactly comforting when he was shivering on what should be a warm July day.

"Neji!" Tenten called from where she and Lee were. "Did you find a good place?" she asked as the three of them met up. "I really hope so because there was nothing good where we went."

Neji smiled. "I did. It's perfect."

"Show us where it is!" Lee said exuberantly.

After Neji led them back to the beach, it was unanimously decided that the location was indeed perfect, and Tenten went to make reservations at the inn.

"Next weekend," she said when she got back. "I got us two rooms; now let's head back so we can invite everyone!"

It was a long trip back to Konoha; by the time Neji got back to the gates of the Hyuuga Clan compound, it was well past midnight. He was beyond exhaustion; he barely managed to pull out his bed before collapsing fully dressed on it and instantly falling asleep.

The next morning, someone was pounding on the door. Wait, how would that even work? His door was a thin sliding one; if someone pounded on it, it would break. Neji opened his eyes and immediately regretted it—the pounding was in his head, not on the door.

"I don't have time for this," he groaned, forcing himself to sit up. He had to meet Tenten and Lee as they rounded up everyone for the beach trip; if he didn't, they might forget someone.

It was no use; he made it three steps before a powerful sneeze knocked him back onto his bed, making his headache so bad that he had to close his eyes again.

An hour later, he woke up to someone knocking on his door. At first, he thought it was his head playing tricks on him again, but this time, he heard voices calling his name.

"Neji? Neji, are you OK?" Tenten called. He answered with coughing, leading his teammates to shove the door open and check on him.

Neji didn't really remember much of what happened next; somehow, he wound up properly in his bed with a cool cloth on his forehead, which wasn't helping too much because he didn't have a fever, but it felt nice so he wasn't protesting. He cracked an eye open; Tenten was gone, and Lee was sitting quietly in the corner. If he didn't feel so miserable, Neji would plan to be sick more often just so he could take advantage of a quiet Lee.

His door opened again; Tenten was back.

"Make sure he doesn't get out of bed," she started to say when Neji abruptly sat up and did exactly what she'd warned against.

"Neji! What are you doing?" she cried. "You're in no condition to be walking around!"

"Beach trip…" he managed to gasp out.

"It's not until this weekend," Lee said, grabbing Neji by the arm and leading him back to his bed. "If you rest up, you'll be better by then."

"No… have to invite… can't forget…"

"Relax, we took care of that already," Tenten said. "Since we're here taking care of you, we asked Naruto to round everybody up. Don't worry; he's not going to forget anyone."

This was bad. Neji was too ill to register what exactly was bad, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it from his bed and once again tried to get up.

"Lee, hold him down!"

"Neji, you have to stay still," Lee said as he pushed his sick teammate down. "You won't get better unless you get rest!"

Neji paid no attention to him, continuing his efforts to get out of bed; Tenten was seriously contemplating pinning him to the bed with kunai when someone knocked on the door.

"Oh, good, she's finally here," she said. "Come in, Hinata!"

It worked like a charm. Neji instantly fell limp on the bed, causing Lee to fall forward from the momentum of pushing him down. The two knocked heads, and Neji almost passed out from the added pain radiating through his skull.

"Ow," Lee said, rubbing his forehead. "Tenten, there's no one here; what were you—"

"Sh!" she said, covering his mouth with her hand. "Look!" She pointed at Neji, who, in the process of pretending to be sleeping quietly, had actually fallen asleep.

"Um, Tenten-san," Hinata said from the hallway. "Why did you call me just now?"

"Oh, no reason," Tenten said, grinning. "Lee and I have stuff to do; take care of Neji for us, please!"

"O-of course…"

When Neji woke up, it was dark outside. His throat was still sore, and his head still hurt, but that was mostly from hitting it against Lee's. 

"Oh, you're awake!" Hinata said. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little bit." Had Hinata been watching over him all this time? She didn't look as though she'd been sitting there long.

"I made you some rice porridge; it might be cold by now…"

"I don't mind." Suddenly, Neji felt very hungry, and he managed to eat the entire bowl. "It's delicious; what did you put in it?"

Hinata blinked. "Rice, water, a little bit of salt... nothing special."

"You're a really good cook, Hinata-sama."

"Thank you. Um, I should go. You need your rest."

"Right." Neji obediently lay back against his pillow. "After all, I need to get better before this weekend."

"What's happening this weekend?"

"You know, the beach trip. You're going, aren't you?"

"Th-this is the first I've heard of it."

That decided it; once he was better, Neji was going to let Naruto have it. I knew he'd forget to tell her, he thought angrily.

"Everybody's going to the beach this weekend," he explained. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Oh… I've been inside with you all day though, so I wouldn't have heard anything."

That was a surprise; she'd been here all day taking care of him? Naruto could live another day, Neji reluctantly decided; after all, he'd probably tried to get the message out.

"Well, consider this your official invitation, Hinata-sama; I really want you to come to the beach with us this weekend."

Hinata smiled. "All right. But no one's going anywhere unless you get better," she said authoritatively. "Go to sleep, Neji-nii-san. Hopefully you'll feel better in the morning."

He nodded and shut his eyes; he already felt better.


	4. SPF 150

第四間：ＳＰＦ１５０  
Chapter Four: SPF 150

* * *

They'd made it to the beach at last! Everyone admired the view of the ocean, marveling at just how magnificent it was.

"Nice work, Neji," Naruto said. "You really picked a great spot."

"Indeed." Neji couldn't help feeling proud about that.

"All right!" Lee shouted, whipping off his clothes to reveal his bathing suit underneath. "Everyone to the water!" He took off in a mad run, clearly expecting the others to follow.

No one did, as Lee had been the only person who had actually worn his suit under his clothes. Tenten rolled her eyes and put down her bag.

"I brought a tent for people to change in," she said. "Let's get everything set up first."

By the time Lee realized he was alone in the water and came running back, the rest of the gang had started setting up a camp of sorts. Tenten and Shino set up the tent, Hinata and Ino laid out beach towels and picnic blankets, and Shikamaru built a fire while Chouji unpacked the ingredients for lunch. Neji was helping Sakura set up an umbrella when Lee came back and tried to organize a swimming race.

"The water is perfect!," he enthused. "Naruto-kun, Neji, I challenge both of you to a race!"

"You got it!" Naruto yelled. "Sakura-chan, come be our starter, pretty please?"

"OK; just let me change first!"

"Hooray!" Lee cried. "Neji, are you coming?"

He shook his head. "Not yet."

"Oh, all right." Lee was too excited to really be disappointed. "First one there gets a five-second head start!" he cried before zooming toward the water as fast as his weights-free body possibly could, leaving a cursing Naruto scrambling after him.

Once all the set-up work was finished and he'd changed into his swim trunks, Neji sat down in the shade and sighed contentedly. The weather was perfect, everyone was in a good mood, and the day had only just begun; nothing but good could happen now. Of course, there was one task he still had to complete before he could join in the fun. Neji opened his bag (which was not girly in any way, thank you, no matter what Kiba said about it) and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen.

"This cannot end well," Tenten said, nodding in Lee's direction where he and Naruto were now trying to convince Sakura to join them in the water.

"I think you're right," he agreed, then went about the serious task of coating himself in sun block.

"Didn't you put some on before we left?" Tenten asked.

Neji turned the bottle to where the instructions read "reapply as needed."

"Right…" She sat down next to him and started blowing up a beach ball. She was almost finished when her prediction came true; Sakura was stalking away from the water, leaving behind Lee and Naruto, who now sported matching bumps on the head. "We should go cheer Lee up," she said. "Are you almost done?"

"Just need to do my back."

"Well, when you're done…" She trailed off as Hinata approached them. "I'll see you later, OK?" she said before skipping off to ambush Lee with her beach ball.

"W-was I interrupting?" Hinata asked nervously.

"Not at all," Neji said. "Did you need something?"

"Actually, I forgot my sunscreen at home; could I use some of yours?"

"Of course." He passed it over, then became fascinated with an overhead cloud when she took her coat off. Hinata wasn't wearing a particularly scandalous bathing suit, but even so, she somehow managed to make a modest one piece much more…

"Um, Neji-nii-san, could you get my back for me?"

He looked over just as she swept her hair to the side to reveal the back of her neck. Neji was suddenly very glad that he still had his bag on his lap.

"Um, sure."

All things considered, he was very professional about the task at hand, and less than a minute later, the sunscreen application was finished, and all that was left was to wait fifteen minutes for it to sink in. The same fifteen minutes that Hinata had to stay in the shade with him.

_This is my chance_, Neji thought. He was about to start a conversation when Kiba plunked himself down on the towel between them.

"Hey, Hinata, what's taking you so long?" he asked, completely unaware of the death glare Neji had aimed at his back. "Shino wants to make a sand castle, and we're not going to start without you!"

"I just needed sunscreen," Hinata replied, passing the bottle back to Neji. "Thank you."

"Whoa," Kiba said, spying the label. "I didn't know they made sunscreen that strong."

"Hyuuga skin burns very easily," she explained.

"Oh. Well, when you're done, we'll be over there!"

Neji sighed; Kiba was finally gone, which meant he and Hinata were finally--_not_ alone. Sai was sitting under the umbrella now, staring blankly at the sea with a sketch pad handy. Neji fixed him with his death glare for a moment; Sai didn't notice, so he guessed it was safe to resume his plan without fear of interruption.

"Lee-san is very energetic, isn't he?" Hinata said, saving Neji the trouble of thinking up something good to say.

"He is. You get used to it."

They watched as Lee ran around chasing Tenten with something before falling face first into the water.

"Kiba-kun's the same way sometimes. I don't mind, though; he's been helping me train, and with all that energy, he pushes me harder…" She trailed off. "I'm sorry, I must be boring you."

"No, not at all." For once, Neji didn't try to hide his smile. "So is that why you've been training with me less?"

Hinata turned bright red. "N-no! I mean, well, I didn't think that…" She paused, collected herself, and continued. "Before we started vacation, you'd been so busy; you're a jounin now, and I thought that..."

"Thought what?"

"You wouldn't have time for me anymore."

"Hinata-sama, I—" Neji looked over his shoulder to make sure Sai was still engrossed in his drawing before moving a little closer to her. "Don't ever think I won't have time for you. It's really important to train with other Juuken users, so if you need to train, I will _make_ time for you."

Hinata didn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry; that was silly of me to think that."

Neji cursed under his breath; he'd tried to sound caring, but instead he'd been too hard on her. "No, it's not; I—"

"Neji!" Lee yelled as he came running up the beach with Tenten right behind him. "Are you done yet? We need you!"

The last thing Neji wanted to do was move from where he was, but Hinata smiled at him and told him to go with his friends, and there was no way he was going to not do something she told him to do. So he reluctantly set down his bag and went to see why his friends needed him.

Apparently he was needed to be a judge in a sandcastle competition, which suited him fine since he had no intention of digging around in the sand. It was a tough call: Lee and Tenten had built the tallest castle, but Ino and Sakura's had the best decorations. He had to use Byakugan to fully comprehend the detail present in Kiba and Shino's castle, which was the largest, the most intricate, and had the deepest moat. Clearly they were the winners, which the other contestants protested because they had Akamaru to dig and the insects to help create the tiny "bricks" and "windows" in the sand, but Shikamaru drily pointed out that no rules stating they couldn't use their respective animals to help existed and it wasn't like there was a prize for winning anyway, so what did it matter?

By then, Chouji had finished making lunch, so everyone gathered around the grill for his homemade yakisoba.

"Chouji-kun, this is amazing!" Lee said while stuffing his face.

"Yeah, it's really tasty," Naruto added. "What's in it?"

"Sorry, it's a secret Akimichi clan recipe."

After lunch, Naruto gathered all of the boys into a huddle. "I propose," he whispered. "A game of volleyball."

"Volleyball?" Kiba wrinkled his nose. "Seriously?"

"Think about it."

Neji had a pretty good idea where this was going, and he didn't like it, but before he could say anything, the light went on in Lee's brain.

"Naruto-kun, what a brilliant idea!" he exclaimed.

"It'll be difficult to play volleyball without a net," Shikamaru observed.

"Leave that to me," Shino said, standing up and extending his arms. His insects flew out and floated in the air forming a perfect facsimile of a volleyball net.

"Perfect," Naruto said with an evil grin. "Now we just have to get the girls to play."

It didn't take much to convince them; Ino saw the net and immediately challenged Sakura to a game, which resulted in them quickly forming teams. Neji wound up on Sakura's team with Lee, Tenten, Chouji, and Shikamaru. As he took his position behind the ersatz net; he couldn't help noticing that Hinata, now standing next to Naruto on the other side of the net, kept fidgeting. If only Shino hadn't picked her first…

Ino beat Sakura in rock-paper-scissors and decided to serve first. She made a perfect overhand serve, aiming the ball directly at Shikamaru, who, true to form, displayed no intentions of hitting it back. Lee, however, ran from the other side of the court to bump it back into the air towards Tenten, who set it so Sakura could jump and spike it over the net.

Naruto dove to bump it back up to Kiba who tipped it back over the net. Chouji hit it back over, then Ino hit it back to him, and they went back and forth until Sai had a bad hit that almost fell short.

Neji leaped forward, the ball seemingly suspended in mid-air over the net. Just as he reached the perfect position to strike and score the point, Hinata ran from the opposite side of the net and jumped and… well, Neji wasn't exactly sure where the ball went because his attention was suddenly focused on Hinata's obvious lack of chest support before he landed face-down in the sand, the ball landing next to him.

He could hear Sakura's frustrated yell and Tenten moaning, "How could you have missed that?", as well as Ino's team shouting with victory. Hinata had ducked under the net to ask him if he was all right, but he couldn't look up to answer without his face growing hot.

"Geez, Neji, your ears are really red," Naruto observed.

"Yeah," Kiba chimed in. "Looks like you missed a spot with your sunscreen!"


	5. Koi-uranai

第五間：恋占い  
Chapter Five: Love Fortunes

* * *

The inn by the sea had small rooms, but the size of the outdoor bath with its view overlooking the ocean more than made up for that.

"We really lucked out," Naruto said as he sank down in the water. "You can't beat the Konoha Hot Springs for convenience, but _this_ is something else."

"Agreed!" Lee said. "We were most fortunate to find this place."

"Dinner was great too," Chouji added. "That fresh sashimi! I wish we could stay an extra night!"

"Maybe we could all come back together in a year?" Sai proposed. "I've read that annual traditions are good for keeping friendships healthy."

His suggestion was met with enthusiastic approval, and it was agreed that, if possible, another beach trip would take place next year.

After everyone had toweled off and changed into their pajamas, they ran into the girls on the way back to their rooms.

"Oh, hey, our rooms are right next door to each other," Kiba remarked.

"Don't get any ideas," Sakura and Tenten said at the same time.

"What ideas? It was a perfectly innocent observation!"

"Sure it was," Ino replied. "We'll see you all in the morning and not any time sooner, got it?"

"Got it," the boys said in tandem. "Good night!"

"Good night!"

Of course, once they were in their respective rooms, Naruto and Lee quickly dropped the innocent facade and pressed their ears against the wall.

"Heehee, I wonder if Sakura-chan is talking about me…"

"I can't hear her; all I hear is Tenten saying something, but I can't tell what…"

"Yeah, I have pretty good hearing, but these walls are too thick." Naruto looked over at the other guys. "Hey, Kiba; Akamaru has really good hearing, right?"

"Of course he does! My hearing's not so shabby either!" Kiba replied. "Let's go, Akamaru!" He pressed his ear against the wall. "Oh, I can hear great. Want me to tell you what's going on?"

"Yes!" was the unanimous response.

"OK," Kiba said before he began to relay the conversation taking place on the other side.

_"So the way it works," Tenten explained, "is you pick four people, and each will be represented by a card. You'll ask questions, and the cards drawn will answer them, then I'll use what's left to tell your future."_

"They're telling fortunes?" Chouji said incredulously.

"How stupid…" Shikamaru said.

"Tenten's really good at fortune-telling," Lee explained.

_"So, who wants to go first?"_

_ "I'll go!" Ino said brightly. "What do I do?"_

_ "Pick a name for each suit. It's better if you say them out loud, but if you're shy, you can just keep them in your head."_

_"I'm not shy. Let's see… Sasuke-kun, of course, and Sai-kun. I guess Shikamaru and Chouji too."_

_ There was the sound of shuffling cards._

_ "OK, now you ask a question," Tenten said._

_ "Like what?" _

_ "Like, 'who's the best at target practice?' Stuff like that. And then the card you draw answers the question."_

_ "Oh! Ok, then… who's the best kisser?"_

_ "Ino!" Sakura protested. "Really?"_

_ "Oh, come on! Don't you want to know?"_

_ "It's too late; she already asked. Go ahead, Ino."_

The boys all went silent at the sound of a card being drawn, with the three boys in question paying particular attention (even if Shikamaru was pretending not to), so when the girls broke into raucous laughter, everyone in the room jumped.

_"I don't believe it," Sakura said in between giggles. "There's no way Sai is the best kisser."_

_ "If you don't believe it, then the fortune won't work," Tenten said somewhat testily. "Ask another question, Ino."_

Through the magic of Tenten's fortune-telling, it was revealed that Sasuke slept with a nightlight, Shikamaru never made his bed in the morning, and Chouji was more of a cat person than a dog person.

"I don't even know you anymore, Chouji," Kiba said before pressing his ear back against the wall.

_"Last question; you should make it a good one," Tenten said._

_ "OK," Ino said brightly. "So, who am I going to end up with?"_

_ "Good question," Sakura said, and there was the sound of a card being drawn. But instead of saying the name aloud like they had been, there were hushed gasps on the other side of the wall._

_ "Wow… that was unexpected."_

"Who was it, Kiba?" Chouji asked.

"They never said. Too bad we can't see through walls to find out."

All eyes turned to Neji.

"Absolutely not," he said before they could even ask.

"Oh, come on, Neji!" Naruto pleaded. "What if it happens again?"

"No."

"But what if—?

"No!"

"Shut up!" Kiba said. "I can't hear anything!" As the others went quiet, he pressed his ear back against the wall before shaking his head and moving away.

"You can't hear anything?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, I can still hear," he replied, "but it's Hinata's turn, and I'm not telling the likes of you what she says."

He was met with general outrage from Naruto and Lee, who were disappointed that they wouldn't be able to hear Sakura's reactions anymore, but Kiba was adamant that he would not relate the goings-on of the other room.

"Looks like Neji is your only hope," he said with a smirk.

"Neji, pleeeease!" Lee begged, kneeling before him in supplication. "You're the only one who can tell us what Sakura-san is doing!"

"Please!" Naruto echoed, copying Lee's posture. "We're desperate!"

Neji held out for a good twenty seconds before sighing in defeat. "Byakugan!"

"So," Naruto said immediately, "what's Sakura-chan wearing?"

Neji stared into the other room. Tenten was kneeling on the ground, laying out the cards, while Hinata nervously faced her. Judging by the four kings Tenten had facing up, Hinata was in the process of choosing her four people. It must have been a more nerve-wracking procedure than expected; Hinata had drawn her hands to her mouth, and Tenten seemed to be saying something reassuring. If only he could figure out _what_…

"Earth to Neji!" Naruto said. "Tell us about Sakura-chan!"

Right… Sakura. Neji had completely forgotten about her. She was sitting next to Ino, who was lying on her stomach and kicking her feet in the air. All four girls were wearing the same yukata provided by the inn, which he reported, but after being pressed for more information, he added that Sakura had her hair pulled into a ponytail while Ino had hers completely loose. He also noticed that Hinata had her hair pulled back as well and that she looked very nice like that, but no one asked him about her, so he kept that to himself.

There wasn't much else to relate, so he spent most of the time watching Hinata. She looked so uncomfortable that he really had to hold back from running next door and stopping the game. Clearly, she didn't like whatever answers Tenten's fortunes were giving her.

"Neji," Lee said, "what's Sakura-san doing now? Your last report was a whole minute ago."

Neji shook his head and released his Byakugan.

"Actually, it's Sakura's turn now," he said, causing a flurry of movement as Naruto and Lee both ran back to the wall, dragging Kiba behind them.

"Come on, Kiba! Just one more time so we know what Sakura-chan's doing!"

"All right, all right, already!"

_"Yay, Forehead; your turn should be a lot more interesting!"_

_ "Go ahead, Sakura; whenever you're ready."_

_ "My turn?" Sakura said. "But I'm still having trouble deciding."_

Lee and Naruto pressed themselves even closer to the wall as if they could somehow hear better that way.

_"Hmm… I guess I can't pick anyone after all," Sakura said with a laugh._

Lee collapsed against the wall in despair while Naruto punched the wall and yelled, "Come on, Sakura-chan; just pick somebody already!"

It went completely silent on the other side of the wall, then a furious Sakura burst into the guys' room, with Tenten and Ino close behind.

"You were spying on us?!" she shrieked.

"No, you've got it all wrong," Naruto tried to explain. "Kiba was the one who…"

"Save it," Ino said. "You're all equally guilty." She and the other girls cracked their knuckles ominously.

"S-S-S-Sakura-chan, wait," Naruto said, backing up slowly, "you don't have to get violent…"

His pleas went unheeded, and the girls left only after each boy had his own painful reminder of why listening at keyholes is never a good idea.

* * *

Half an hour after everyone had gone to bed, Neji woke up with Naruto's foot in his ribs and Lee's elbow in his face. One or the other he could have ignored, but both woke him up too much to go back to sleep.

He got up to look out the window; the moon was shining bright enough that he was able to admire the ocean view.

To his surprise, there was someone out there sitting and watching the waves. Having telescopic vision, he could have found out who it was from there, but something made him want to find out the old-fashioned way. Jumping down from the balcony was simple enough, and it was only a ten minute walk to the shore.

He wasn't really surprised that it was Hinata sitting out there alone; this was one of the dreamy things he'd imagined she'd do. What surprised him was that there was absolutely nothing to interfere with them now, although Neji refused to tempt his bad luck by dwelling on that.

Hinata saw him coming, so when he sat down next to her, she only smiled in greeting before going back to her quiet observation of the sea. Neji was perfectly content to sit in silence beside her, even all night if she'd let him.

"You couldn't sleep?" she asked after a while.

"Not used to sharing that small a room with that many people," he replied. "What about you? Is everything all right?"

"Well…" She was twisting her fingers together. "How accurate are Tenten-san's fortunes?"

"It depends on what she's trying to predict."

"Well, um… how are her l-love fortunes?"

Neji took his time answering. "She's never told one for me, so I have no personal experience, but Tenten can hit a target one hundred times out of one hundred. Her skill in fortune-telling is just as accurate."

"Oh…"

"Of course, that's only if all the conditions are met," he added hastily. "The person whose fortune is being told has to fully participate—it's why she can never get as good a reading for me."

"Because you don't believe in fate anymore," she said.

"No, I don't. I didn't think you did either."

"You're right; I don't." She stood up. "Thank you, Neji-nii-san."

Neji smiled. "I'm glad I was able to help. We should probably head back before we're missed."

"Mm-hmm." Hinata stayed for a moment when a shooting star flashed overhead.

"Look!" she cried. "Make a wish!" She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands. Neji stared at her before bowing his own head; he believed in making his own destiny through his own power, but a wish had already brought him this far, and just one more small wish couldn't hurt.


	6. Kokuhaku

第六間：告白  
Chapter Six: Confession

* * *

It was Neji's turn to pick a movie, and to the surprise of neither of his teammates, he picked the newest romantic comedy. His reasoning was that the story took place on a beach, a place they'd been missing since last week, but the reality was that Neji was secretly a huge sucker for romance. It was a fact he'd never be able to admit out loud, but Tenten and Lee already knew, so in the long run, it didn't matter; they were watching it regardless.

The movie's plot was rather contrived: boy-meets-girl, they fall in love, life tears them apart until a grand romantic gesture bring them back together again, but Neji was giving it full attention (completely missing the hilarious running commentary Tenten was providing to Lee).

At last, the hero was confessing his love to the beautiful girl, which he did with a musical montage, showers of rose petals, and a kiss so magnificent that the camera spun around them three hundred-sixty-degrees before segueing into their wedding.

Neji composed himself (he hadn't been crying; his eyes were just sensitive, thank you) while Tenten tried to talk Lee out of making his own over-the-top romantic gesture to Sakura.

"Even if she did like it, that doesn't mean she'll go out with you," she cried in frustration. "The real world doesn't work that way; we're not in some shoujo manga!"

"But if I managed to do just the right thing—"

"No! It wouldn't work! It'll never work!"

Maybe he just felt bad for him or maybe it was the movie still infecting his brain, but Neji suddenly found himself siding with Lee.

"Well, there's no _proof_ it wouldn't work," he countered. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained; Lee will never know if he doesn't try."

Lee's eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Thank you, Neji; I knew you'd understand. All right, I'm off to plan the best way to win Sakura-san's heart once and for all!" And with that, he was off, leaving an angry Tenten alone with Neji.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" she snapped.

"Did I do something wrong?" Neji asked, bewildered.

"Why did you say that? Now he's going to come up with some crazy scheme and make a huge fool out of himself!"

Tenten didn't get angry often, but when she did, it usually came out all at once then evaporated just as quickly, so Neji waited for her to finish ranting before apologizing.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean for Lee to actually go and do anything," he said calmly, "but even if I had, what does it matter to you?"

Tenten flinched and shifted her gaze before sighing and grabbing her bag. "I don't really want to continue this conversation. I'll see you later."

* * *

Later came, and Neji and Tenten met for weekly target practice as usual. Technically, target practice the way they usually did it was not allowed under the rules of vacation, but they were using darts instead of kunai so that it could be seen as a game.

Tenten didn't say a word for the first twenty minutes, leading Neji to believe there was something seriously wrong. He'd apologized, after all, and if that wasn't enough… well, that had never _not_ been enough.

She finally ran out of darts and sat down next to him underneath the target.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you," she said in a rush. "It wasn't you, it was the situation, and I shouldn't have blamed you for Lee's enthusiasm."

"Apology accepted."

Between such good friends, no more words were needed, so they were quiet until Tenten lay down on the grass and asked, "Neji, can I talk to you about something?"

He nodded.

"OK… well, see, there's this guy," she began. And something about the way she said it and the way she was refusing to meet his eyes sent him into panic mode.

"I'm-sorry-but-I-like-someone-else!" 

"What?" Tenten was taken aback. "What does that have to do with-- Oh! Ew, no! _No!_ No, it's not you! _Ew!_"

Neji blinked. "Was it really necessary to say "ew" twice?"

Tenten laughed. "Sorry… no offense, but you're not my type."

"None taken."

"Anyway, the summer festival is coming up, and… well, when I made my Tanabata wish, I wished for an unforgettable summer memory. And the beach was great, but…" She picked at a blade of grass. "Well, isn't summer romance the most unforgettable thing there is?"

"I wouldn't know."

"And whose fault is that, Mr. 'I-Like-Someone-Else'?" Tenten teased. "I'm not going to forget about that so easily, you know."

Neji cleared his throat. "We're talking about you right now."

"Right." Tenten's attention went back to the grass. "Well, the reason I wanted to tell you all of this is because I want to go to the festival with… well, with the guy I like, and I need your help to do that."

"How exactly am I supposed to help with that? We're already going together with Lee as a team."

"Easy." Tenten said, refusing to look up. "We all go together, and then... you make a really good excuse to leave."

Neji couldn't help laughing at that. "You like Lee; I should have seen that coming."

"It's that obvious?"

He shook his head. "I had my suspicions, but I think you're safe from the casual observer."

"I'm safe from Lee too," she groaned. "All he ever thinks about is Sakura; I don't stand a chance as long as she's around."

"Believe me; I know exactly how you feel."

"Do you?" Tenten looked like she wanted to ask something but decided against it. "Love's the worst," she sighed. "Everyone in this stupid village is hopelessly hung up over someone who doesn't feel the same way. You'd think at least once, somebody would luck out." She jumped up and stretched. "So are you going to help me?"

"I will, but…"

"But what?"

"I think you should tell Lee your feelings."

"What?!"

"Lee's… dense. He has no idea you like him so of course he isn't looking your way. If he knew, things might be different."

Tenten thought about that. "Do you really think I should?"

Neji shrugged. "It's worth a try."

"Would you ever do it?"

"Do what?"

"Tell Hinata."

Neji winced; leave it to Tenten to hit the right target on her first try. "How did you know?"

"You weren't exactly subtle about it when we were at the beach," she explained. "Although I think Kiba and I were the only ones who noticed."

"Kiba?!"

"I'd rather not repeat exactly what he said, but apparently there was a lot of pheromones going around that weekend."

_That Kiba… never knows when to keep his mouth shut, does he?_ Neji suppressed his aggravation for the moment and focused on answering Tenten's original question. "...I've thought about it." He'd more than thought about it; Neji had devised at least twelve detailed strategies he could use to tell Hinata his feelings, but as long as she was still enamored with Naruto, there was little point in actually using one.

"It's different, though," he continued. "It took a very long time for Hinata-sama and me to become friends. I don't want to lose that."

"I guess that makes sense, but if I have to tell Lee, you should have to tell Hinata. It's only fair."

"No one _has_ to do anything," Neji asserted.

"And _you _don't have to take everything so seriously when I'm just teasing you," she said. "Come on, we need to figure out a game plan for this festival and think up a good excuse for you to leave!" Tenten chattered away, setting their strategy in motion; Neji just hoped that it wasn't going to backfire on them both.

* * *

As the sun set over the training grounds, Kiba was walking Akamaru when he felt the unmistakable feeling of someone aiming a death glare at the back of his head. He sighed; he should have known Tenten was going to say something sooner or later.

"'Sup, Neji?" Kiba greeted him. "You're looking pissed off as usual."

"_You_," Neji said as he stepped into Kiba's path, "have a _very_ big mouth."

"Heh, you talked to Tenten, I take it?" Kiba asked, ignoring the waves of cold fury radiating from Neji. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were challenging me, and I'm pretty sure the ban on training covers sparring."

"I have no intention of _sparring_ with you," Neji said. "You know something about me, and I'm going to make sure you keep that information to yourself."

"Oh, really?" Kiba asked. "How? You gonna kick my ass?"

The veins on Neji's temples bulged as he activated his doujutsu. "Precisely."

Kiba nodded to Akamaru, then made a hand seal; in a puff of smoke, the dog transformed into a perfect replica, and Kiba bared his now-sharpened claws in excitement. "Bring it."


	7. Yukata

第七間：浴衣  
Chapter Seven: Summer Kimono

* * *

Festivals in Konoha were usually well-attended, but now that the entire village was home from lack of missions, the streets were overcrowded with people dressed in lightweight, colorful yukata and ready to celebrate. Neji was grateful his team had previously decided on a meeting spot because even with Byakugan, it'd be dreadfully difficult to find them in the sea of people around him.

He was late, most unusual for him, but getting ready took twice as long with his right arm out of commission. His fight with Kiba a week ago had officially ended as a draw, but while Kiba's nasty-looking bruises disappeared with healing chakra, Neji's broken arm was not so easily mended.

"Oh, good; you're here," Tenten said as he approached. "For a minute, I thought Lee was going to get here before you."

"Would that be bad?"

"No, but…" She nervously adjusted the sleeve of her yukata. "You know what to do, right?"

"Tenten, we've been over this five times already."

"OK, OK; just checking!" Tenten nervously looked over her shoulder to see if Lee was coming that way. "Hey, Neji? How do I look?"

Neji obediently swept his eyes over her, checking for anything amiss. "You look fine."

"Only 'fine'?"

He sighed and looked again; Tenten had clearly put in a lot of effort getting ready for the night, fixing her hair differently and even wearing a little bit of makeup. Neji wasn't exactly sure whether or not he was supposed to call attention to that, though, and the last thing he wanted to do was make Tenten mad by noticing the wrong thing.

"Your obi's a little crooked," he said at last, "but other than that, you look…" He tried to think of an adjective that wasn't 'fine.' "…nice."

"Are you sure it doesn't look like I'm trying too hard?"

"If you're that worried about it, why did you get all dressed up in the first place?"

"It wasn't _my_ idea," Tenten grumbled. "We all got together at Ino's place to get ready, and she offered to do my makeup. I thought it'd be rude to say 'no,' and she did a really good job with everyone else." She sighed. "I'm just worried that Lee's going to look at me and say something stupid."

As if on cue, Lee came barreling around the corner and skidded to a stop in front of them, a rather impressive feat considering he was wearing geta, and greeted his teammates.

"I apologize for my lateness! Gai-sensei and I were racing, and I lost track of time, and—" He stopped and stared at Tenten. "Tenten, what happened to you?"

For a moment, Neji actually feared for Lee's life. Tenten was already on edge; whatever Lee said next was crucial in setting the mood for the entire evening.

"What do you mean, 'what happened?'" Tenten said, the level of danger barely concealed in her tone. "Is there something wrong?"

_Please don't say something stupid, Lee; please, _please_, don't say something stupid._

"Huh?" Lee blinked. "No, nothing's wrong. You just look really pretty tonight."

Neji sighed in relief, then did a double-take; where had Lee picked up a line that smooth? He eyed him suspiciously, but Tenten didn't seem to care whether Lee was sincere or not. She blushed, mumbled some form of thanks, and then avoided eye contact until Lee proclaimed he was starving and that they needed to get food that very minute.

In twenty minutes, the three of them managed to eat their way through a sizable amount of meat, seafood, and dumplings.

"Mmm!" Tenten said, polishing off the last of the sesame dumplings. "Festival food really is the best!"

"Indeed!" Lee asked through a mouthful of grilled squid. "Neji, are you going to finish your takoyaki?"

"You can have it," Neji replied, using his good arm to push the plate towards Lee. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Are you feeling OK?" Tenten asked. "You look a little pale."

"My arm hurts," Neji said.

"Should you go to the hospital?" Lee asked, instantly worried.

"No, it's not that bad. I just need to find…" He scanned the people passing by for a hint of pink hair, but no luck.

"A medic?" Tenten finished. "Ino's right over there; she could probably help you." She gave Neji a look that spelled out this was a command and not a suggestion; although Neji was supposed to specifically seek out Sakura if and when his arm hurt, Tenten clearly wanted to get him moving and was willing to settle for Tsunade's other apprentice.

"I suppose. No need to wait up for me; this could take a while."

"OK, then; we won't," Tenten said cheerily before turning to Lee and challenging him to a goldfish-catching contest before he could protest against leaving Neji behind.

As he watched them leave, he silently wished Tenten luck before turning back to the task at hand. The original plan had been for him to only pretend his arm hurt, but for whatever reason (probably the guy who'd bumped into him while cutting in line for takoyaki), his arm really _did _hurt. Neji wasn't very friendly with Ino, but he really didn't want to spend the rest of the evening in pain, so he trudged over and politely asked her to take a look at his arm.

"It's normal to have mild discomfort when the bones are mending," she said, giving him an aspirin. "I know it's hard, but try not to use it; you'll heal faster."

"Of course; thank you." He was about to turn and leave when he realized he could use her help on another matter. "Excuse me for asking, but by any chance, have you seen Hinata-sama tonight?"

If Ino thought it was weird for him to be asking, she didn't show it. "I'm sorry; I haven't, but…" She pointed over his shoulder to where Naruto was furiously haggling with a merchant. "I bet if you follow _him_, you'll find her without a problem."

Neji thanked her again and rushed over to join Naruto, who was trying to buy a replica ANBU mask despite being two hundred ryou short.

"Neji! My savior!" Naruto shouted when he saw him. "Could you spot me just this once? I'll get you one too."

"You're in no position to be generous if you don't have enough for even one," Neji chastised him, but he did manage to talk the stand owner into selling them one mask at full price and one half-off.

"Aren't these the coolest?" Naruto said, putting on his fox mask and posing. "Don't I look awesome?"

"It suits you well," Neji answered. He was already wearing his own mask (a bird, which he thought fitting) and had activated his Byakugan in order to properly see out of it; while the actual masks the ANBU wore had eye slits carefully placed in order to maximize peripheral vision, these cheap plastic knock-offs had miniscule holes punched in the front and were practically useless.

"Damn it!" Naruto complained after tripping for the fourth time, "I can't see anything out of this!"

"I have no problems," Neji quipped.

"Seriously? Maybe I got a bad mask—hey, wait a minute! Using Byakugan is cheating!"

"Naruto? There you are!" Sakura fought her way through a stream of people to make her way over to them. "I thought I'd never find you again! Thank goodness you're loud," she muttered. "What are you two doing?"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whipped off his mask so he could actually see her. "Don't worry; I didn't lose you. Neji here was going to help me find you," he said, whacking Neji none too gently on the back. "Right, Neji?"

"…right."

"I'm sure," Sakura said, not very convinced. "Oh! I just remembered—Hinata was looking for you. Stay here; she was just a little back that way. I'll bring her here." With that, she took off the way she'd come. Naruto's gaze lingered on her back until she disappeared from view.

"Sakura-chan sure looks good in yukata," he sighed.

"Most women do," Neji agreed.

"What do you know? Neji's a man after all," Naruto teased.

"You misunderstand; I appreciate the view from an artistic point of view—that's all."

"Sure you do," Naruto said, not believing a word. "Then you know what the best part of a girl wearing yukata is, right? Artistically, of course."

"Back of the neck," Neji said absently.

"What?"

"Nothing. What is it?"

"Oh, you know," Naruto said mischievously. "There's nothing underneath."

Neji froze. _Nothing underneath… nothing underneath…_ The words kept echoing through his skull.

"Not that it matters much to _you_, though," Naruto continued, "since you could just look through someone's clothes whenever you want."

Naruto was right, of course; using the Byakugan required intense focus and concentration, and it wasn't uncommon for novices still mastering the technique to accidentally get an eyeful of a victim's underwear instead of her chakra points. Neji had long ago mastered the art of looking through people without looking _at_ them, but now…

_Nothing underneath…_ He released the jutsu without hesitation and moved his mask to the side of his head, avoiding looking at Naruto and his self-satisfied grin.

A moment later, Sakura found them again, this time with Hinata in tow.

"Hello, Hinata!" Naruto said. "We found Neji for you!"

"Naruto-kun! I've been looking all night for—" Hinata took a moment to realize exactly what he'd said. "Oh, but I wasn't…"

"Not a problem! I'll see you guys later. Now, come on, Sakura-chan!" he said, pulling her off in the opposite direction. "We gotta get a good spot to watch the fireworks!"

Hinata stared after them, struck dumb with shock. She probably would have stood there all night watching after him if Neji hadn't coughed and reminded her that he was still standing there.

"Oh, Neji-nii-san... It seems I was looking for you without knowing it. Are you here alone?"

"For the moment. Lee and Tenten went off on their own, and I doubt I'll be able to find them again."

"It's the same with me. Shino-kun and I were separated, but it's all right because the fireworks are starting soon, and…" She sighed. "Well, at least I'll be able to see the fireworks this time."

"Should we get a good spot?" Neji asked, trying not to notice her flinch at the word 'we.' "It's too bright over here; we won't be able to see them as well."

"All right."

Hinata knew a good spot by the river, so she led the way. Neji, following behind, mentally cursed Naruto for putting all that nonsense about "nothing underneath" in his head; every time he tried to think of something to say, that and general nervousness kept him from forming a complete sentence.

When they reached the river, he finally managed to get a complete sentence out, asking if Hinata was excited to see the fireworks. It wasn't a great opening line, but at the very least, it got Naruto and his perverted ideas out of Neji's head.

"I love fireworks," Hinata said. "Hanabi always has fireworks on her birthday; I always wanted fireworks too because I love watching them so much, but it's never happened."

"So that's why they happen every March. I didn't know she liked fireworks."

"She hates them! The only reason we have them is because of her name; Mother started it as a joke, I think, but Father took it seriously and continued it even though Hanabi won't watch them." She shook her head. "She thinks they're too romantic."

"I've never thought of fireworks as particularly romantic, although watching them with the right person—" He leaned a little bit closer to her. "—might make a difference."

"Fireworks with someone special; that would be…" Hinata gazed off into the distance, looking decidedly unhappy.

_She wanted to see them with Naruto._ Neji was hit with guilt as he realized his own selfishness. Didn't Hinata have her own hopes and wishes? She'd never admit it, but he knew she didn't want to see the fireworks with him—she wanted to be with Naruto.

"Hinata-sama?"

"Hm?"

"I just remembered; I need to ask Sakura something. Let's go back and find her."

Hinata finally smiled, the first time she had all evening. "OK!"

When they found Naruto and Sakura, Neji made sure Naruto was engaged in conversation with Hinata before he pulled Sakura aside and led her a few meters away.

"What is it, Neji-san?" she asked. "You had a medical question for me?"

Neji forced himself to ignore Hinata and focus on Sakura, who was beginning to look worried.

"Neji-san?"

"Yes. What do you recommend for severe chest pain?"

He never heard the answer; the first explosion of a firework overhead drowned Sakura out. Not that it mattered to him; Neji was certain no medical ninjutsu could cure heartache.


	8. Un no Unadon

第八間：運の鰻丼  
Chapter Eight: Lucky Eel Bowl

* * *

Neji didn't have to ask how the events of the festival played out for Tenten and Lee; their shy, smiling faces were enough confirmation that for them, all had gone according to plan.

He'd expected the dynamic between the three of them to change; to his surprise, if there _was_ any change, it came from him. Tenten and Lee behaved the way they always had—they were teammates first and a couple second, so if it ever got weird, it was because of Neji's own insecurity. He really was happy for them, but he couldn't help being a little bit envious.

"But Neji, we promised!" Lee protested when Neji tried to get out of their weekly movie date with the claim of feeling like a third wheel. "Nice Guy pose and everything!"

"I know, but—"

"But _what_? How could you go back on a passionate promise made in the springtime of our youth?"

"Lee's right; you shouldn't break a promise like that. Why don't you bring a friend?" Tenten suggested.

So Neji found himself standing outside Hinata's bedroom door, gathering enough courage to finally knock.

He hadn't spoken to her since the festival. Sakura took his complaint of heartache a bit too literally and rushed him to the hospital, so he wasn't able to observe how Hinata's evening with Naruto played out. As far as he knew, the night had gone well; it was hard to avoid Hinata when they lived in the same clan compound, and every time he saw her since, she seemed cheerful, which was good because all Neji wanted was for Hinata to be happy, but… no, he thought, that was not _all_ he wanted.

Neji realized he'd been standing outside Hinata's bedroom door for a full five minutes, which was sure to get him some strange looks if any family members were to pass by; he shook his head and finally knocked.

"Neji-nii-san!" Hinata almost dropped her knitting when she opened the door. "Did you need something?"

"Are you busy tomorrow? I want to ask you a favor."

"T-tomorrow? I should be free. Why?"

Neji explained about Lee and Tenten's new relationship status and the solemn vow of weekly movie outings.

"I can't get out of it," he sighed. "But there's no reason I can't bring a… friend; would you like to join us?"

"What kind of movie are you seeing?"

"We figure it out when we get there; there should be all new ones this week."

"That's good that you can decide on one movie as a group," Hinata said. "Kiba-kun and Shino-kun can never agree, so I haven't seen any movies at all this summer…" She looked up and smiled. "It sounds fun; what time should I meet you?"

"Noon," Neji answered before he got a brilliant idea. "But if you want to walk there together…"

"That's a good idea; I'll meet you at the front gate at 11:30?"

Neji had to actively repress the huge grin threatening to break over his face. "Very well."

The next morning, Neji was convinced that time was slowing down.

He was dressed and ready to go ten minutes before eleven (no easy feat considering he'd tried on every combination of clothing he had in his closet to figure out which shirt clashed the least with his sling), and although he tried to spend those last forty minutes in mediation, he spent the majority of the time with one eye open watching the second hand tick.

At 11:29, he decided he couldn't wait any longer and half-ran, half-walked to the gate. Exactly one minute later, Hinata arrived.

"I'm so sorry, nii-san; were you waiting long?"

"No, just got here," he answered truthfully. He couldn't understand how Hinata managed to somehow look even cuter than she usually did; they were halfway to the movie theater when he realized she was wearing a skirt and concluded that was probably the reason.

Tenten and Lee were already waiting at the movie theater when they arrived (which may have been because Neji was purposely walking slower than usual).

"Hi, Hinata!" Tenten called, waving. "I'm so happy you decided to join us!"

"Yes, indeed!" Lee agreed. "And since you are our guest this time, we want you to have the honor of choosing what we watch!"

"R-really? You want _me_ to choose?" Hinata scanned the titles. "What kind of movie does everyone like?"

"It doesn't matter; just pick whatever you want to see," Tenten answered. "The three of us tend to be pretty predictable with our movie choices, so it'll be nice to have someone else pick something different for a change."

Hinata eventually chose a drama that began with a funeral and progressively grew sadder and more depressing with each scene. Neji, however, noticed none of this; he wasn't watching the movie at all. He spent the entire runtime studying Hinata with his peripheral vision, watching her reactions and debating whether or not it was too forward for him to try to hold her hand. At one point, he actually had his hand hovering over hers and was going to do it after counting to five, but as he reached 'four,' Hinata started crying and moved to wipe her eyes. Disappointed, Neji turned his attention to the screen for the first time; what on earth was so sad about a rainbow?

When they got out of the theater, Lee and Hinata were still composing themselves.

"I'm so sorry," Hinata said. "I didn't think it was going to be quite so sad…"

"It's all right, Hinata-san; there's no way you could have known," Lee said through sniffles. "But I know I'll never be able to look at rainbows the same way again."

"Enough about rainbows, Tenten said; clearly she hadn't been moved by the storyline. "I'm starving! Let's get some lunch."

Everyone agreed with that plan, so they made their way to the nearest restaurant. Just as they were about to go in, Lee started going through all his vest pockets.

"I can't find my wallet."

"Are you serious?" Tenten smacked her forehead with her palm. "Did you leave it at the theater?"

Lee shook his head. "I didn't use it there because I had a coin in my pocket. I must have left it at home."

"Well, I guess I can pay your way this time," Tenten sighed, pulling out her own wallet. She opened it and shut it quickly. "Or not… I've only got six hundred ryou on me."

"It's OK, I have enough for the both of you," Neji offered, but Tenten waved him off.

"Don't trouble yourself; Lee and I will just have lunch at home—I've been practicing making curry, so this is a good opportunity for him to finally taste it."

Neji ignored Lee's cries of excitement about curry. "Are you sure?"

"Yep! You two have fun on your own!" she said, giving Neji a wink. "Thank me later," she mouthed before grabbing Lee and walking off with him, leaving the two Hyuuga alone.

"That's bad luck," Hinata said as they left. "Both of them forgetting their wallets on the same day…"

"Yes, just terrible," Neji agreed, once more trying his best to keep his elation in check.

"So what did you think of the movie?" Hinata asked right as Neji took a bite of eel. "I noticed you weren't crying…"

He took his time chewing, trying to recall one detail, any detail, about the movie. "I thought it was… sad," he said finally.

Hinata didn't seem to notice his vagueness. "Wasn't it? And to think they loved each other all this time but never had the courage to confess their feelings…"

"Uh-huh." Neji had no clue what she was talking about—a shame, really, because it sounded like the type of movie he would enjoy.

"It makes you think about all the things people leave unsaid," she continued. "The things they really shouldn't hold back…" She shook her head. "We haven't talked in a while, have we?"

"Not since the festival," Neji admitted. "How did that go? Did you have a good time with Naruto?"

"Oh…" Hinata's face fell. "Well, it was a nice evening, and the fireworks were beautiful, but…" She caught herself twisting her fingers, flexed them, then lay her hands flat on the table. "I watched them alone."

"What? But where was Naruto? He was with you when I left…"

"He went to look for Sakura-san once he realized she was missing. I completely understand, though; he heard she went to the hospital and was worried…"

Neji couldn't believe it; after he'd so selflessly tried to push them together…

"No good deed goes unpunished," he muttered. "Hinata-sama, if I had known you were alone—"

"I looked for you," Hinata interrupted. "When he left. I thought you would still be nearby, and…"

"You looked for _me_?" Neji, dumbfounded, mentally imagined dragging a sword through his stomach. "But why? Why didn't you go after Naruto?"

Hinata blushed. "I realized that I wanted to watch the fireworks with someone who actually wanted to watch them with me."

Neji was speechless. Hinata actually wanted to be with him? She cared? For a moment, he honestly thought he was going to faint, so he grabbed his water and downed the entire glass in one gulp.

Hinata watched, wide-eyed. "Neji-nii-san? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He put down his glass and put both hands on the table. "Hinata-sama?"

"Hm?"

"What you said earlier, about leaving things unsaid?"

"Yes?"

"I have a confession to make; I… didn't watch a single minute of the movie."

"What? Why not? It was such a good movie!"

"Because…" Neji hesitated, took a deep breath, and continued. "I was too busy watching you." He didn't give her a chance to react before adding, "I had to make sure you were having a good time; otherwise, maybe you wouldn't come back with me next week."

"You want me to come with you again?"

"Of course I do! And maybe if you wanted to get lunch with me again afterward…"

Hinata suddenly broke into a dazzling smile. "I'd love to! It's a date!" His blank stare prompted her to explain further. "You know, like a standing date?"

"Right." Neji found himself forced to match her smile. "It's a date then."

* * *

後書：夏が終わる  
Epilogue: Summer Ends

"Well, that was our last movie," Lee said forlornly as they exited the theater. "Today's the last day of summer."

"What? That can't be right!" Tenten started counting on her fingers. "But it feels like August just began!"

"Doesn't it?" Hinata added. "I'm sorry for vacation to end, although I must admit it will be nice to get back to training."

"I'm a little scared, actually," Tenten confided. "I haven't done any target practice in weeks! I hope I haven't lost my touch."

"Don't be afraid, Tenten!" Lee executed a flawless and exuberant cartwheel. "I can hardly wait to begin training again, especially since we'll be able to train together."

"I don't know whether that's the most romantic or most terrifying thing I've ever heard," Tenten sighed, making Hinata giggle.

Neji stayed quiet. He too was disappointed that summer was coming to an end so soon; his schedule as a jounin was often so busy and complicated that on any given night he honestly couldn't say if he'd be home or out on a mission. There was no way he could keep up his weekly lunch dates with Hinata, and even though Neji knew they couldn't last forever, he was reluctant to give up that new tradition.

Hinata wasn't very hungry, so they skipped lunch and split an ice pop from the convenience store instead; it was so hot outside that it started to melt almost as soon as Neji took off the wrapper. While they sat and ate their ice treat, the buzzing of cicadas drowned out almost all other noise. For a moment, an eerie sense of tranquility came over Neji, and he almost moved to put his arm around Hinata.

He pulled his hand back just in time. What was he thinking? This whole summer, every time he'd tried to make a move, something or someone would find a way to ruin it. The moment right now was perfect, so with his luck, if he tried anything, he'd just anger Hinata, and then the moment would be gone forever. At this point, it was best to just let summer end on a good note and hope there would be a better time in the future.

He was so focused on not trying to screw things up that he didn't hear Hinata call his name until she raised her voice slightly.

"Neji-nii-san!"

"Huh? Sorry, I was…" He fished around for an appropriate explanation. "Just thinking."

"Thinking good things, I hope."

He smiled. "I was thinking about our summer, about all the things we did."

"Me too. We did a lot of fun things this summer." She smiled. "I still think the best part was going to the beach; you did a good job making that happen."

"It _was _a good idea… um, you're dripping, right there." Neji pointed out the melted syrup running down Hinata's arm.

"Oops!" To his surprise, she licked it off instead of using the napkin he held out to her. "It's too good to waste," she explained.

"Right…" He was spellbound for a moment, a moment that abruptly ended when she took a bite out of the ice. "So it was a good summer; you were able to do everything you wanted."

"Well, not quite." Hinata finished the last of her ice pop. "There's always next year. What about you, Neji-nii-san? Did you get to do everything you wanted?"

"Not exactly."

"What didn't you get to do?"

Neji hesitated. This was an opening he never expected; a chance this good might never come again. So many things could go wrong—an interruption, a miscommunication, everything single thing that had gotten in the way this entire summer—but despite all this, he squished down the negative voices and decided, enough was enough; he was going for it.

"This." He reached out and took her right hand in his left. Her fingers were sticky from the melted sugar and he knew his grip was all wrong, but nothing bad happened. All he knew was the drone of the cicadas and the feel of Hinata's cool palm pressed against his.

"Am I too forward?" he asked. Hinata was silently staring at their hands, and he was terrified that she would let go and never speak to him again. Why did he do it? He should have just waited until…

"No." She moved her hand so that they fit together more comfortably. "It's…" They finally made eye contact; Neji was surprised to see that Hinata was blushing. "I don't mind," she said at last, ducking her head, but he still managed to see how wide her smile was.

They would need to talk about this, about what exactly this meant, about the exact nature of their relationship from now on, about how on earth they were going to manage to spend time with each other while still going on missions, about whether or not he should bring up Naruto… Neji could think of a million more questions, but right then, he couldn't bring himself to care.

It can wait, he thought. It can wait until autumn.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Fanfiction.net on 7/5/13, completed 11/27/14.


End file.
